As many of the devastating stories and photos of typhoon-wrecked Philippines show , one of the most pressing problems of the Philippines crisis is the lack of toilets and the collapse of water systems .

Tacloban is currently facing a desperate lack of sustainable sanitation . UNICEF , among other organizations , has delivered portable toilets and hygiene supplies to Tacloban and is appealing for $ 34 million to help the four million children affected by Typhoon Haiyan , the estimated amount for six months of assistance .

The lack of sustainable sanitation that the Tacloban region is suddenly facing is part of daily life for an astonishingly high percentage of the world 's population .

To throw a spotlight on the issue , the United Nations General Assembly declared this year would kick off the inaugural World Toilet Day on November 19 .

`` We must break the taboos and make sanitation for all a global development priority , '' said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in an official statement in Singapore last July .

Some sobering facts about the world 's lack of toilets , according to the United Nations :

Due to the unglamorous nature of the subject matter , toilets tend to take the back seat when it comes to awareness and fundraising .

`` We aim to make these hugely important issues relevant and sexy , '' says Garvey Chui , the Asia representative for Toilet Hackers , a nonprofit organization trying to give access to `` dignified sanitation '' to those without .

`` For many Westernized travelers -- particularly for many women travelers , no matter how well-seasoned -- sanitation and access to clean toilets becomes a serious consideration when traveling , '' says Chui .

`` But for those without access to safe , clean and private toilets and sanitation , it is more than an inconvenience , it can be life or death , '' says the Toilet Hackers rep.

`` One very dangerous time for a woman in a developing country , and one of the main times she may get sexually assaulted , is when she is going to the washroom . When there is no toilet to go to , she is vulnerable and exposed when she is going outdoors or in a public space , often late at night and away from people . ''

From the two-story toilet-shaped toilet museum -LRB- the former home of a toilet-obsessed congressman and mayor in South Korea -RRB- to weird and wacky toilet-themed restaurants -LRB- yes , restaurants -RRB- from London to Beiing , check out our gallery for where to celebrate World Toilet Day .

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2.5 billion people do not have access to a toilet or sustainable sanitation

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November 19 , 2013 has been designated first World Toilet Day by United Nations

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In many countries , girls stay home from school or drop out all together due to lack of a safe place to change and clean